FROM WASTE TO WEALTH.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 277, 28 February 1929, Page 1

FROM WASTE TO WEALTH.

Tree-Planting on an Economic Basis.

N.Z. Perpetual Forests National Policy.

Outstanding Benefits to the Community.

No. XII. “ Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The truth of this well-known adage is realised by all. Let any man or company make a success of any particular line of action and immediately there springs up, like a crop of mushrooms, a number of imitators. So it has been with the parent company in afforestation work. Conceiving the idea of the immense benefits to the nation which would accrue from utilising the vast waste spaces on the pumice belt which were known to be exceptionally well favoured from a tree-growing point of view, the N.Z. Perpetual Forests Ltd. set to work to educate public opinion, once they had proved their facts, to the splendid endowment which could be created by growing suitable trees in this area. Their carefully-thought-out plans met with instantaneous success. Encouraging Settlement. A glance at the operations of the N.Z. Perpetual Forests Ltd. will soon convince anyone that their methods have been carefully considered in detail ! and will stand the closest investigation ; further, that the definite i policy of this company is to encourage settlement contiguous to its areas, for, following the experience of older countries, it has been realised that afforestation work and settlement go hand in hand and that to ensure the greatest success one should be dependent on the other. The facts are as follow: The pumice belt can be broadly classified into two areas, viz., broken country unsuitable for farming operations, and the flats and rolling downs, which of recent years have been proved to be extremely fruitful, when properly tilled, from an agricultural point of view.

This undeniable fact was realised at an early period and acted upon, and to-day it can be stated that of the 111,000 acres which have been planted in trees by this company 90 per cent, is waste land in that, because of its broken nature or the extremely-poor composition of its soil, it is totally unsuited for farming operations and could not be so worked as an economic proposition. 111,000 Acres Planted. So definite has the company been on this point that it has deliberately refrained from planting trees on land which it is possible to farm in the accepted manner, and such land is being cropped by the company in the meantime and may possibly be resold for settlement at a later day. * The guiding principles of the N.Z. Perpetual Forests Ltd. on this question of “ farm lands or forests,” which has recently been discussed in the New Zealand Herald, are simple and sound. In the first place it has been recognised that it was uneconomic to pay fancy prices for land for tree planting. Further, it was realised that to be successful forestry operations of this nature must be conducted on a large scale. This being so, huge tracts of waste land which were lying idle were bought at economic prices for the company’s operations. To date, as is already noted, the areas actually planted in trees, amount to 111,000 acres. It naturally follows that when such huge areas of waste country are handled some small proportion of them must be flats of fair quality. So email and isolated, however, are these patches, that it would be too expensive to reserve them for purely farming operations. Work for Settlers. Still, even all such areas are not 'planted in trees. The permanent

staff of the company which is responsible for the up-keep of the blocks planted, have to be fed, and [ have to live amidst these vast man- ; made forests, and naturally these areas of fairish quality land are thus turned to account so that the permanent hands may, in the future, have their own gardens and milk their own cows. In regard to settleI ment, the experiences of such efforts in Europe, show that it is advisable to have settlers close to the forests, for then an ample supply of labour is thus available on the spot. During the winter months, when farm work is slack, employment is found for the small farmer, on roads, firebreaks, clearing undergrowth, and many other such jobs which are essential for the upkeep of the tree plantations. This suits the Afforestation Companies and of course suits the farmer, and is a far more economic proposition from the national point of view than depending solely on the floating casual labour market. Good Land Set Aside. To some degree this policy has already been put into effect by < the N.Z. Perpetual Forests, Ltd., and so far as is possible local farmers are employed on casual work during the winter -months. As the trees are planted the demand on this labour market will grow, with, of course, great benefits tc both parties. So keen is the company on such settlement that an area of between seven and eight hundred acres of fiat to rolling country on the Maraetai

road at Tokoroa has been set aside for farming purposes. Here the company has broken in a fair amount of this land and at present is growing oats and laying down pastures for its own horses. At a later date this block will in all probability he cut up into small holdings and sold for settlement. Benefit to Putaruru. It is in the towns, however, that the immediate benefits accruing from soundly organised forestry companies is apparent. The amount of money distributed by the N.Z. Perpetual Forests, Ltd., in Putaruru is remarkable, while the total paid in wages is quite staggering. A few figures, quoted at random, in regard to the payments of the N.Z. Perpetual Forests, Ltd., are as follow: Since the commencement of operations the total wage expenditure (excluding the staff) to January 31 last is £250,000. Not all of this is spent in Putaruru, but nevertheless a good proportion of the amount finds its Way to local tradespeople. The amount paid in wages last year was £90,000. It is in direct payments to local usiness people that the town chiefly benefits. So far as is possible it is the policy of the N.Z. Perpetual Forests, Ltd., to buy all their food supplies and other requirements locally. Last year the amount paid to local tradesmen under this heading came to £12,600, or over £240 a week. This money covered supplies of bread, meat,, fish, groceries, fruit, etc. In one period of four weeks, alone, no less a sum than £2OOO was distributed locally in this manner. £30,000 Annually. In addititon to these payments, the company spends locally some thouands of pounds annually for chaff, coal, timber, truck repairs, etc., and a feature of afforestation work is that the busiest season being in winter, local tradespeople benefit by securing these large orders ' when trade is usually at its lowest point. Taking everything it is estimated that the tradesmen of the town bene-

fit to the amount of £25,000 to £30,000 annually in supplying the many requirements of the parent company. Other payments made are: Rates and land tax for year 1928-29, £2000; heavy traffic licenses and petrol tax (less refunds), £500; while in one year the company has spent over £SOO, quite apart from rates, in maintaining county roads.